US Pro ChampionshipsApril 1, 2012United Airlines and US Airways SUCK!!! Just sayin'...

Getting to TX: My flight was supposed to take off via United at 5:45pm on Friday. Everyone loaded the plane; after spending close to an extra 45 minutes on the plane, we were asked to de-board. Long story short, some people booked an alternate flight, some stuck around in hopes of getting on a plane. I had no other option but sticking around. Eventually, we boarded on a new plane at 10:15pm. Yay…only to get to my hotel at 4am Saturday. I tried to "sleep in" a bit on Saturday, but only managed to sleep about 5 hours. So much for being well rested two days before race day.

We had some pissed off passengers...

Race morning: The body is an amazing thing. I woke up a few minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off. I got my usual coffee, bagel, and Honey Stinger energy bar down while I gathered my stuff to head out.

1.2 mi swim: Your mind is very powerful. The gun went off and by default, a group of gals made their lead pretty distinctive. A few were trailing in front of me, but not even close enough to get a draft. I ended up swimming alone for the entire swim, not realizing that there was another group of gals behind me. They were far enough behind that I couldn't see them; that totally played with my head. I thought I was dead last. I exited the swim and headed to transition. It was smooth sailing...getting off the wetsuit quickly, putting on my helmet and sunglasses, heading out to the bike exit.

56 mi bike: I forgot one thing though…clipping on my race number belt. They were laying across my aerobars; I realized this after I got on the bike and started pedaling. I looked down, said, "sh*t" and decided to keep soft pedaling while I tried to get the belt on. If you've ever ridden a TT bike, it's not exactly friendly for "hands free" riding. I eventually managed to get my number on after a minute or so. For those of you that do triathlons, just use your imagination…it was pretty entertaining.

Oops...

After I finally got situated, it was time to get going on the flat, out-and-back course. Of course, it was complete cross-headwind on the way out, making slow times on the way out inevitable. Being the smallest one there, by default I was at a disadvantage on this course--flat and windy (power output/energy exertion). It's simple science, but I wasn't going to let it get to my head. On the way out, I didn't start feeling good until after about 10 miles, and I managed to hammer down a handful of riders that seemed to lose their focus in the headwind. The thing about flat bike courses, not only is it mentally challenging, it also puts a different kind of strain on your body. When compared to a course like Boulder, let's say, there isn't much going on but you in a TT position for the entire 56 miles. So, I decided to take the initiative to trigger some different muscles by getting out of the saddle every once in a while, about 20 pedal strokes at a time. I might have lost some time doing this, but I would rather do that and prevent any cramping of the quads (it's happened to me before on flat courses).

13.1 mi run: By the time everyone started the run, the temperature had risen. The run course, just like the bike, was out in the open. Thankfully, we were fortunate to have a water/nutrition station approximately every mile (some races don't do that). Ironman was also very considerate for giving out sponges soaked in water. Those are my favorite and key to keeping core temperature down as much as possible. I started the run not feeling that great. I thought to myself, either I'm going to keep feeling this way the entire run and it's going to suck, or my legs are going to open up at some point of the run. I headed out for the run; I got passed by Christie Sym of Australia and Nina Kraft of Germany, about a mile and a half into the first lap (3-loop run). I told myself that I could either continue going at my pace, or try to stay with them. I stuck with Christie for the first half of the run while Nina picked up the pace. Christie and I passed a few gals on the way that seemed to be affected by the heat. It was even too hot for Jenny Fletcher, who had stopped on the first lap. I think the momentum of picking people off and the consistency of the pace did my legs good. At the halfway point with about six miles left, my legs had opened up and I started to feel really good, so I took off at one of the water stations, opening up a gap and eventually catching Nina.

Getting back to PA: I crossed the finish line with limp legs, waited around a bit, gave a couple high-five's, shook Nina's hand, and went off to gather my things. At this point, I had about 90mins to get to my hotel, take a shower, and pack my luggage/bike. The only good thing that came out of this was that I wasn't "suffering" from any GI issues thanks to GU Energy Gels, and I got to the airport on time. I got to PHL at a quarter to 11pm, only to find that my bike never made it. I spoke with a very nice lady named Tanya at the baggage claim office, asking her if this was some kind of April Fool's prank. It turns out that the guy who tagged my bike in Houston via US Airways, put the wrong tag on! I was technically "Diane" at that moment; my bike was on its way to Jacksonville, FL. By the time we got all the paperwork done to ensure that the bike would arrive safely at some point within the next 48hrs, it was 11:30pm and I had another 80mins of my travels left. By the time I got home and in bed, I had about 4hrs until I had to get back up for school. I wish I could've stayed an extra day to enjoy Galveston Island. Life.

Reflection: On a side note, TO (Tim O'Donnell) had a stellar performance...he didn't get "Lanced." But, as Lance said, this race was a different ball game. The USA field alone was deep. Kelly Williamson, Caitlin Snow, Heather Wurtele, Amy Marsh were just a few of them. And when you've got other champions from different countries fighting for a big prize purse and points towards qualifying for Worlds (World Triathlon Corporation implemented a point qualification system last year only for the pros), it really changes up the dynamics. PS, I'd love to see an American win Worlds...whether it be at Nevada or Hawaii. No pressure or anything, Williamson. Overall, I was quite pleased with my performance, finishing 10th for the US. It's amazing how much talent is out there; my hat goes off to Williamson for having a kick-ass season thus far. As for me, although I can only improve upon this result, I am taking nearly a 5mo break so I can race my bike. I can really use this mental break; it will give me a chance to rejuvenate my mind for the sport, and really focus on putting all of my energy towards another big passion of mine.

Kudos: I'd like to thank Erica Sheckler (for being my swim partner and keeping me level-headed at the airport Friday night) and Craig Sheckler of Endurance Multisport for hooking me up with some training partners, Cyndi Roberts, those individuals that dealt with my irritableness leading up to the race, the cycling community here in the Lehigh Valley, Bike Line of Allentown, Honey Stinger, Gu Energy Gel for keeping my GI normal during and after the race, and those that have encouraged me along the way.